Display panel and display device

Abstract

The application discloses a display panel and a display device. The display panel comprises a bending area and non-bending areas on both sides of the bending area. The display panel further comprises a screen body and a support. The support is arranged on the back light surface of the screen body and is used for supporting the screen body. The support comprises a bending section in the bending area. In the direction of the non-bending area of the bending area, the bending section is curved and extended. In the application, the bending section is curved and extended. The length of the bending section changes with the bending of the display panel. In the unbending state, the bending area of the display panel is supported, which is beneficial to reducing the bending stress in the bending process of the display panel, improving the bending performance, protecting the screen body, reducing or even avoiding the creases after supporting the bending area, and prolonging the service life of the display panel.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a display panel and a display device. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, after the foldable display panel is bent for many times, a crease will appear in the bending area. Moreover, with the increase of the bending times, the crease will deepen, thereby reducing the service life of the display panel.

[0003] Therefore, it is urgent to improve the display panel, further reduce or even avoid the crease, and improve the service life of the display panel. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application mainly provides a display panel and a display device, which can reduce or even avoid the generation of creases in the display panel.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the technical scheme adopted by the present application is to provide a display panel, which comprises a bending area and non-bending areas located on both sides of the bending area, and further comprises a screen body and a support piece, wherein the support piece is arranged on the backlight surface of the screen body and is used for supporting the screen body, wherein the support piece comprises a bending segment located in the bending area, and the bending segment is curved and extended in the direction of the bending area pointing to the non-bending area.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, another technical scheme adopted by the present application is to provide a display device comprising the display panel in the above embodiments.

[0007] The beneficial effects of the present application are as follows: in the present application, the bending segment is curved and extended, the length of the bending segment changes with the bending of the display panel, the bending area of the display panel is supported in the unbent state, which is conducive to reducing the bending stress in the bending process of the display panel, improving the bending performance to protect the screen body, and reducing or even avoiding the crease after supporting the bending area, thereby improving the service life of the display panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0008] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced as follows. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor. Among them:

[0009] Figure 1 It is a top view of an embodiment of the display panel in the present application;

[0010] Figure 2 It is a side view of an embodiment of the display panel in the present application; Figure 1Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the display panel in a folded state;

[0011] Figure 3 for the purpose of Figure 1 Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the display panel in a folded state;

[0012] Figure 4 for the purpose of Figure 3 Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the display panel in a folded state;

[0013] Figure 5 for the purpose of Figure 1 Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the display panel in a folded state;

[0014] Figure 6 for the purpose of Figure 1 Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the display panel in a folded state;

[0015] Figure 7 for the purpose of Figure 1 Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the display panel in a folded state;

[0016] Figure 8 for the purpose of Figure 1 Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the display panel in a folded state.

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the display panel in a folded state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0019] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present application; the terms "comprising" and "having", and any variations thereof, as used in the specification and claims and the aforementioned drawings, are intended to cover not exclusive inclusions.

[0020] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms "first", "second" and the like are only used to distinguish different objects, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number, specific order or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.

[0021] Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The occurrence of the phrase "in an embodiment" in various places in the specification does not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, nor is it necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It will be explicitly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0022] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the technical terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting", "fixing" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanical connection, or it can be electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0023] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the present application provides a display panel 100, which comprises a bending area 10 and a non-bending area 13 located on both sides of the bending area 10, the display panel 100 further comprises a screen body 5 and a supporting piece 6, wherein the supporting piece 6 is arranged on the backlight surface of the screen body 5 and is used for supporting the screen body 5, wherein the supporting piece 6 comprises a bending segment 61 located at the bending area 10, and the bending segment 61 is curvedly extended in the direction of the bending area 10 pointing to the non-bending area 13.

[0024] Specifically, the display panel 100 of the present application is a flexible display panel, the bending area 10 can be bent, which is convenient for the folding display of the display panel 100. Correspondingly, the screen body 5 can also be a flexible screen body 5, which can be bent along with the bending of the display panel 100, and the screen body 5 is used to realize the display function of the display panel 100. The supporting piece 6 is used to support the screen body 5, and when the screen body 5 is bent, the supporting piece 6 supports the screen body 5 so that the display surface of the screen body 5 is flat, without affecting the display effect.

[0025] Meanwhile, the bending section 61 is curved and extended, and the length of the bending section 61 changes with the bending of the display panel 100. In the unbent state, the bending section 61 supports the bending area 10 of the display panel 100, which is conducive to reducing the bending stress in the bending process of the display panel 100, improving the bending performance, protecting the screen body 5, and reducing or even avoiding the occurrence of creases after supporting the bending area 10, thereby prolonging the service life of the display panel 100.

[0026] Please continue to refer to Figures 1 to 3 The display panel 100 further comprises a T-shaped block 1, a pressing strip 2, an adhesive 3, and a hinge 4. The pressing strip 2 mainly protects the edges of the screen body 5 outside the bending area 10, and the T-shaped block 1 is used to protect the edges of the bending area 10 of the screen body 5. The combination of the pressing strip 2 and the T-shaped block 1 facilitates the realization of the flatness of the display surface of the screen body 5. The adhesive 3 is used to bond the hinge 4 to the display panel 100, and the hinge 4 is used to bend and unfold the screen body 5, thereby realizing the bending function of the display panel 100.

[0027] Please continue to refer to Figures 1 to 3 The bending area 10 comprises a bending center area 11 and reverse bending areas 12 located on both sides of the bending center area 11. Specifically, the bending center area 11 is located in the center of the bending area 10 and has the largest deformation after bending. When the bending area 10 is bent to a drop shape, the bending area 10 below the drop after bending is the bending center area 11. The display panel 100 further comprises a non-bending area 13 outside the bending area 10. The junction of the non-bending area 13 and the bending area 10 is the starting point of the reverse bending area 12, and the reverse bending area 12 extends from the starting point to the bending center area 11, while the reverse bending area 12 and the bending center area 11 are arranged in a spaced manner.

[0028] The bending section 61 is located at least in the bending center area 11. Specifically, the bending section 61 can be located only in the bending center area 11 or extended to outside the bending center area 11. When the bending section 61 is located only in the bending center area 11, the bending stress of the bending center area 11 can be reduced due to the largest deformation of the bending center area 11 with the bending, and the screen body 5 of the bending center area 11 can be supported in the unfolded state to reduce or even avoid the occurrence of creases.

[0029] In an embodiment, the bending section 61 further extends to the reverse bending area 12. Specifically, the bending section 61 is arranged in the entire bending area 10, which is better in reducing or even avoiding the occurrence of creases and better in reducing the bending stress.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 3The support 6 is made by etching a metal sheet, and the bending section 61 has a wavy curved surface in a cross section perpendicular to the screen body 5. Specifically, the bending section 61 with the wavy curved surface design can increase in length as the display panel 100 is bent, support the folding area in the unfolded state of the display panel 100, and facilitate preparation.

[0031] In an embodiment, the support 6 is thinned by an etching process to achieve the folding performance of the support 6. After thinning, the elastic modulus of the support 6 is reduced, and the bending performance is better. The wave shape includes at least one of a sine wave, a sawtooth wave, and a square wave. The wave shape can be a sine wave, a sawtooth wave, or a square wave, or a combination of any two of the sine wave, the sawtooth wave, and the square wave, or a combination of all three. The wave shape facilitates preparation and can improve the preparation efficiency.

[0032] In an embodiment, the thickness ratio of the bending section 61 to the support 6 in the non-bending area 13 is in the range of 1:4.5-1:2. Specifically, the thickness ratio of the bending section 61 to the support 6 in the non-bending area 13 can be 1:4.5, 1:4, 1:3.5, 1:3, 1:2.5, or 1:2. The thickness ratio of the bending section 61 to the support 6 in the non-bending area 13 is designed to ensure the support effect of the non-bending area 13 while facilitating the bending of the bending section 61 to meet the bending requirements of the display panel 100.

[0033] In an embodiment, the thickness of the support 6 in the bending area 10 is in the range of 40-60um. Specifically, the thickness of the support 6 in the bending area 10 can be 40, 45, 50, 55, or 60um.

[0034] In an embodiment, the thickness of the support 6 in the non-bending area 13 is in the range of 120-180um. Specifically, the thickness of the support 6 in the non-bending area 13 can be 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 150, 155, 160, 165, 170, 175, or 180um.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The display panel 100 further includes a protective film 7 disposed on the side of the support 6 away from the screen body 5. The bending section 61 includes a lower concave section 62 and an upper convex section 63 connected in sequence, and the protective film 7 is located in the bending area 10 and is attached to the outer surface of the lower concave section 62 of the bending section 61. Specifically, the protective film 7 can be elastically deformed and elongated with the elongation of the bending section 61. In the unfolded state of the display panel 100, the protective film 7 can support the redundant deformation of the bending section 61 in the support 6, support the bending section 61, thereby prolonging the service life of the bending section 61 and protecting the folding performance of the display panel 100.

[0036] In an embodiment, the material of the protective film 7 comprises at least one of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU). Specifically, the material of the protective film 7 can only comprise one of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), or be composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU).

[0037] In an embodiment, when the material of the protective film 7 is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the thickness of the protective film 7 ranges from 23 to 75 um; specifically, the thickness of the protective film 7 can be 23, 28, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 or 75 um.

[0038] In an embodiment, when the material of the protective film 7 is thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), the thickness of the protective film 7 ranges from 50 to 100 um; specifically, the thickness of the protective film 7 can be 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95 or 100 um.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 5 , the display panel 100 further comprises a hinge 4 and an adhesive 3, wherein the hinge 4 is located on the side of the protective film 7 away from the screen body 5; the adhesive 3 is arranged between the hinge 4 and the support 6, connecting the hinge 4 and the support 6, wherein the thickness of the protective film 7 is less than the thickness of the adhesive 3. Specifically, the adhesive 3 plays a role in bonding the hinge 4 and the support 6, the hinge 4 is used to drive the screen body 5 to bend and unfold, and the design that the thickness of the protective film 7 is less than the thickness of the adhesive 3 makes the side of the protective film 7 away from the support 6 suspended, so that the protective film 7 has a large activity space and is not affected by other film layers except the bending section 61 in the unfolded and bent states of the display panel 100.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 6 , the display panel 100 further comprises an elastomer 8 arranged on at least the side of the bending section 61 away from the screen body 5. Specifically, the elastomer 8 located on the side of the bending section 61 away from the screen body 5 can support the bending section 61 in the unfolded state of the display panel 100, ensuring the shape of the bending section 61, and thus supporting the screen body 5 and realizing no creases in the folding area. In addition, the elastomer 8 can also elastically deform and elongate with the bending section 61 when bending.

[0041] Please continue to refer to Figure 6The display panel 100 further comprises a hinge 4 on the side of the support 6 facing away from the screen body 5, and an elastic body 8 connecting the bent section 61 and the hinge 4. In the unfolded state, the elastic body 8 is connected to the bent section 61 at one end and to the hinge 4 at the other end in a direction perpendicular to the screen body 5, so that the elastic body 8 fills the space between the bent section 61 and the hinge 4, thereby better supporting the bent section 61 in the folding area in the unfolded state and avoiding or even reducing the occurrence of creases.

[0042] In an embodiment, the elastic body 8 is prepared by using a supercritical foaming forming process. The supercritical foaming forming process takes full advantage of the faster diffusion rate and larger solubility of supercritical carbon dioxide in polymers. The polymer is in a semi-solid state during foaming, and the melting zone allows the bubble to grow, while the non-melting zone provides the melt strength to maintain the bubble structure. Extremely fast pressure relief induces extremely high nucleation rate, ensuring the formation of a bubble structure with micro-nano size and high pore density.

[0043] Specifically, supercritical foaming is a process in which supercritical carbon dioxide or other gases such as nitrogen are first injected into a special plasticizing device in injection molding, extrusion, and blow molding processes. After the gas is fully and uniformly mixed / diffused with the molten raw material, a single-phase mixed sol is formed. Then the sol is introduced into the mold cavity or extrusion die, so that the sol produces a large pressure drop, thereby causing the gas to precipitate and form a large number of bubble nuclei. During the subsequent cooling and forming process, the bubble nuclei inside the sol continue to grow and form, and finally a microcellular foamed plastic product is obtained. The pore size can be controlled to be 0.1-10 μm, and the pore density is generally 109-1015 / cm 3 .

[0044] Supercritical foaming of microcellular plastic materials better solves the problem of trapping gas. Not only does it have some unique properties of general foaming materials, but it also has excellent mechanical properties compared to traditional foaming materials. The presence of pores reduces the amount of material used for the same volume, which can reduce the weight of plastic parts and save materials, and exhibits a high performance-to-price ratio, such as 5 times the impact strength and fatigue resistance, and a 5%-90% reduction in density.

[0045] In an embodiment, the material of the elastic body 8 comprises a supercritical foaming material made of at least one of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer TPU, thermoplastic polyester elastomer TPEE, thermoplastic polyamide elastomer TPAE, polyether block amide PEBA, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer EVA.

[0046] Please refer to Figure 7, the bending section 61 comprises a lower concave section 62 and an upper convex section 63 connected in sequence, and the elastic body 8 is located at the side of the lower concave section 62 away from the screen body 5. Specifically, in the unfolded state, the elastic body 8 supports the lower concave section 62, avoids the lower concave section 62 from sagging and drives the upper convex section 63 to move away from the screen body 5. The direct support of the lower concave section 62 realizes the indirect support of the upper convex section 63, thereby ensuring the support effect of the elastic body 8 on the whole bending section 61, and further realizing the support of the folding area of the screen body 5, reducing or even eliminating the generation of creases.

[0047] Please refer to Figure 8 The elastic body 8 is disconnected at the lowest point of the lower concave section 62. Specifically, in the bending process, the bending section 61 is lengthened with the bending of the display panel 100, and is disconnected at the lowest point of the lower concave section 62, realizing the dispersed support of the elastic body 8 on the bending section 61, which is beneficial to dispersing the bending stress and facilitating the bending.

[0048] In an embodiment, the material of the support 6 comprises at least one of special steel, nickel, titanium, nickel alloy and titanium alloy. The above-mentioned materials have good rigidity and can effectively support the screen body 5. In an embodiment, the special steel comprises stainless steel. The stainless steel has the advantages of easy material acquisition and easy preparation.

[0049] In an embodiment, the bending section 61 in the present application can be prepared by etching the corresponding region of the support 6, so that the support 6 is designed in one piece, improves the structural strength and ensures the service life.

[0050] The present application also provides a display device comprising the display panel 100 in the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0051] The display device in the embodiments of the present application can be any product or component with display function, such as electronic paper, mobile phone, tablet computer, television, display, notebook computer, digital photo frame or navigator.

[0052] The above-mentioned is only the embodiment of the present application, and does not limit the patent scope of the present application, and any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation using the content of the specification and drawings of the present application, or direct or indirect application in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that, The display panel includes a bent area and non-bent areas located on both sides of the bent area. The display panel also includes: Screen body; A support member is disposed on the backlight surface of the screen body for supporting the screen body, wherein the support member includes a bent segment located in the bending area, and the bent segment extends in a bending direction from the bending area to the non-bending area; The display panel also includes: A protective film is disposed on the side of the support member opposite to the screen body. The bending section includes a concave section and an convex section connected in sequence. The protective film is located in the bending area and is attached to the outer surface of the concave section of the bending section; or; The display panel also includes: An elastomer is disposed at least on the side of the bent section away from the screen body; the bent section includes a concave section and an convex section connected in sequence, and the elastomer is located on the side of the concave section away from the screen body.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support member is made by etching a metal sheet, and the cross-section of the bent section perpendicular to the screen body has a wave-shaped curved surface.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, The waveform includes at least one of sine wave, sawtooth wave, and square wave.

4. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ratio of the thickness of the bent section to the thickness of the support member located in the non-bent area is in the range of 1:4.5-1:

2.

5. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the support member located in the bending area ranges from 40 to 60 μm.

6. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the support member located in the non-bending area ranges from 120 to 180 μm.

7. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective film is made of at least one of polyethylene terephthalate and thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer.

8. The display panel according to claim 7, characterized in that, When the material of the protective film is polyethylene terephthalate, the thickness of the protective film is 23~75 μm.

9. The display panel according to claim 7, characterized in that, When the material of the protective film is thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, the thickness of the protective film is 50~100um.

10. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the display panel also includes the protective film, the display panel further includes: The hinge is located on the side of the protective film opposite to the screen body; An adhesive backing is disposed between the hinge and the support member to connect the hinge and the support member, wherein the thickness of the protective film is less than the thickness of the adhesive backing.

11. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the display panel further includes the elastomer, the display panel further includes: A hinge is located on the side of the support member opposite to the screen body, and the elastic body connects the bent section to the hinge.

12. The display panel according to claim 11, characterized in that, The elastomer is prepared using a supercritical foaming molding process.

13. The display panel according to claim 12, characterized in that, The elastomer material includes supercritical foaming materials made from at least one of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, thermoplastic polyester elastomer, thermoplastic polyamide elastomer, polyether block amide, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

14. The display panel according to claim 12, characterized in that, The elastomer breaks at the lowest point of the concave section.

15. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bending area includes a bending center area and reverse bending areas located on both sides of the bending center area, wherein the bending segment is located at least in the bending center area.

16. The display panel according to claim 15, characterized in that, The bent section extends further into the reverse fold area.

17. A display device, characterized in that, Includes the display panel as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

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